Chapter 358: Other Players’ Reactions

Chapter 358: Chapter 358: Other Players’ Reactions

Accompanied by that laughter, thick with malice.

Seraphina Sullivan turned to look toward other parts of the city.

Sure enough, in the distance.

Identical golden pillars of light shot into the sky, one after another, from various areas.

It was as if bloody coordinates were being hammered into this chessboard of despair!

Seraphina Sullivan stared at the pillars of light.

She glanced back at the marked Yates Ghoul, which was attacking with frenzied abandon, and a certainty solidified in her mind.

’This entity hosting the game, the one who can turn the dead into ghouls and grant them the status of Beloved... it’s almost certainly the God of Viruses!’

And the "good buddies" He mentioned were probably other entities who had lent Him this marking ability.

’The God of Viruses, the God of Slaughter... and their buddies who haven’t shown their faces yet...’

Seraphina Sullivan felt a mountain of pressure and took a deep breath.

’I wonder what the other supreme beings are plotting right now, or how they’re enjoying this cruel game they’ve all orchestrated, with the lives of countless Players as the wager.’

Seraphina Sullivan tightened her grip on the Universal Sniper Rifle in her hand.

Her gaze swept over Sean Chandler, who was enveloped in the pillar of light, locked in a fierce battle with the ghoul.

Then she looked towards those distant pillars of light.

The game had already begun in the most brutal way possible.

And they had no choice but to become Players.

Or... become the kill targets someone else needed to get home.

「Meanwhile, in other corners of the city.」

"What the fuck?! What the hell is this?! The mission’s completely changed?!"

Nicholas Jensen stared at the single, crimson, blood-soaked mission in his mind and couldn’t help but curse out loud.

"Is this fucking thing turning from apocalypse survival straight into a Player battle royale? And all Players are forced to join? If we don’t finish, we can’t go back, and we’ll be trapped here forever!"

He immediately looked at his teammates.

His gaze fell particularly on Joy Hughes, the young woman in their group with a unique air about her, whose face was currently pale for some unknown reason.

However, before he could ask anything, something unexpected happened!

A thick, dazzling, and overwhelmingly present pillar of pure white light descended from the sky without warning. Like a theatrical spotlight, it landed precisely on Joy Hughes, enveloping her completely!

It illuminated a several-meter radius around her, leaving nothing in shadow.

"A Divine Favored?!"

Heath Summers widened her eyes in astonishment.

Staring at Joy Hughes, who was bathed in the pillar of light like a saintess—or more accurately, a target—she was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Joy... you’re... you’re actually a Divine Favored? Why didn’t you ever mention it before?"

The light from the pillar was making Joy Hughes uncomfortable.

She turned her head slightly, her face growing even paler. Her voice carried a faint, apologetic tremor.

"I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to hide it. It’s just... this status comes with its own special... troubles and restrictions. I had my reasons, I hope you can all understand."

The team’s anchor, the steadfast Gordon Chandler, immediately stepped forward, his deep voice cutting off any further questions.

"This isn’t the time for that!"

His gaze swept over the surrounding shadows, which were drawn to the light and beginning to stir restlessly. His tone was decisive.

"The mission has changed, and the situation is critical. From now on, we won’t just be facing this world’s ghouls. The greater danger is the other Players, who will be desperate to get back home!"

He looked at Joy Hughes, his expression grave.

"Comrade Joy Hughes, your Ability, your status, are of the utmost importance to us—to Azure Star.

Your safety is the highest priority.

From now on, our primary mission is to protect your safety at all costs and ensure you can get back alive!"

Brandon Barton’s eyes were now bloodshot.

He stared at the pillar of light surrounding Joy Hughes, a strange glint in his eyes.

He proposed a bold idea.

"This light pillar... maybe it’s not entirely a bad thing.

It’s too conspicuous, like a bonfire in the night that attracts all the moths.

But on the other hand, we can use it as bait!

Anyone who’s drawn in by this light and attacks us first is a potential enemy and... our mission objective.

We can counterattack in self-defense and use them to meet our quota for returning."

Victor Sharp, holding a heavy Energy Shield, nodded in agreement.

But he was more cautious. "Barton has a point, but we can’t just wait passively.

It would be best to proactively create opportunities for Joy to kill five Players, or... to find other Divine Favored.

This game has gotten too strange. Who knows what other chaos is coming? We have to help her meet the conditions as quickly as possible and get out of this godforsaken place!"

Nicholas Jensen took a deep breath. He looked at Heath Summers, the youngest yet most talented member of the team, and at the heavily protected Joy Hughes. His tone was uncharacteristically grave.

"Heath, and you, Joy, listen up. If any Players attack, the rest of us will hold the front line. You two look for an opening and prioritize getting the kills!

The nation has invested enormous resources in training you two as special talents. You’re our future hope. You absolutely cannot die here! Understand?"

Heath Summers’s eyes instantly welled with tears—not from fear, but from being moved and a newfound resolve.

She nodded vigorously and tightened her grip on her weapon.

"Jensen, Mr. Chandler, Barton, Sharp... I won’t hold you back! I’ll definitely protect Joy!"

She turned to Joy, asking hopefully, "Joy, your premonition... can you see if everyone will be safe? Even a tiny hint would help!"

Joy Hughes shook her head gently, a bitter look on her face.

"Ever since we entered this dungeon, my precognitive ability has been severely disrupted and limited.

Now... at most, I can only get vague, extremely brief glimpses of events in the next four or five seconds that are directly related to my own safety. It’s also incredibly mentally taxing, so I can’t use it often."

Just as she finished speaking, her body suddenly shook violently without any warning!

Her pure white pupils instantly lost focus, filled with rapidly flashing fragments of emerald green light and shadow!

In her "vision," time seemed to fast-forward and rewind—she "saw" Heath Summers beside her, looking at her with concern.

The next second.

An emerald green arrow, wreathed in the element of wind, materialized from thin air and pierced precisely through the center of Heath Summers’s forehead!

The expression on Heath Summers’s face froze, and the light in her eyes died...

The image suddenly shattered!

Joy Hughes snapped back to reality. Cold sweat instantly drenched her back, and a wave of terror so immense it nearly suffocated her washed over.

She let out a desperate scream:

"INCOMING—!!!"

At the same time, she used every ounce of her strength to tackle the unsuspecting Heath Summers to the ground!

THWACK!

At the exact same instant Joy tackled Heath.

An emerald-green Magic arrow, its fletching still quivering, whistled sharply through the air. It grazed the tips of Heath Summers’s hair as she fell and slammed deep into the ruined Wall behind where they had just been standing.

The shaft was buried deep, its tail feathers trembling violently!